Contents

Description

Luinor L3 is an wide and heavy Energy Layer designed for Left-Spin Attack. The Layer features four dragon heads, akin to its predecessor's two, representing the anime's rendition of this Layer's Beast, a dragon; two of which surround the center and two of which follow the perimeter. The snouts of the dragons are molded into the shape of spear heads which are meant to represent this Layer's Japanese namesake, the Roman Soldier Longinus of Christian Mythology who stabbed Christ in the side with a lance during the crucifixion. The primary points of contact are two large wings that protrude from either side of the relatively round perimeter, creating high recoil akin to an elliptical design.

As part of the SwitchStrike/God Layer System, Luinor L3 features gimmicks;
The dragon heads are made of metal making the Layer one of the heaviest in the game.
The second is that the Layer has a built in Disc.

The heavy weight of the metal dragon heads generates high inertia which increases the Layer's KO and Burst potential, to prevent breaking the opponent's Layer however, contact with the dragon heads is prevented by the wide plastic base. Due to the Left-Spin nature of Luinor L3, it and a Right-Spin opponent's Layer will spin together like gears if they are of similar spin speed which heavily reduces recoil and rate of Bursts. However, the high recoil shape still creates strong KO potential in Opposite-Spin matches. Furthermore the opposite spin allows for some degree of Spin Equalization, however not to the degree of Drain Fafnir.
The Takara Tomy release of Nightmare Longinus features only two teeth of average length, while this may imply poor Burst resistance, the heavy weight of the Layer compensates for this.

Luinor L3's second gimmick is the fact that the Layer has a built in Disc comprised of a plastic base and the perimeter dragon heads that moves independently from the rest of the Layer. This combination makes Luinor L3 heavier than most Layer and Disc Combinations. Because of the built in Disc, Luinor L3 is incompatible with Discs as a whole, however the plastic base features notches that allows Disc Frames to be attached.
The perimeter dragon heads function as the prongs of normal Discs so they move behind the wings as the combination grows closer to Bursting, creating an effect akin to the Xcalius/Xcalibur line of Layers with their stock Discs; the closer to Bursting, the more weight is added to the points of contact creating stronger attacks.

Use in Attack/Spin Equalization Combinations

Nightmare Longinus can be put to use in the Attack/Spin Equalization Combination Nightmare LonginusBump/Meteor/Star/VortexXtreme/Variable (Worn)/Jolt. The heavy weight of Nightmare LonginusBump/Meteor/Star/Vortex creates high Burst and KO potential while Xtreme/Variable (Worn)/Jolt grants aggressive movement and speed even when moderate launched which further bolsters Burst Attack. While the use of high friction Tips can increase the Burst risk, the heavy weight of Nightmare Longinus can compensate.

Overall

Nightmare Longinus' heavy weight, KO and Burst potential made it one of the best Attack Layers for Left-Spin vs. Left-Spin matches in the metagame and the best Attack Layer for Opposite-Spin matches. While the weak teeth can create inconsistent results, practiced launch techniques and part Combinations can compensate to create Top-Tier Combinations. However, with the release of the SlingShock/Cho-Z Layer System, Nightmare Longinus is too light to remain competitive.

As such, Nightmare Longinus is not a must have but is instead a welcome addition to a blader's collection.

Differences in the Hasbro Version

Hasbro's Luinor L3 is virtually identical to Takara Tomy's Nightmare Longinus with the same Burst resistance and recoil.

As such, Luinor L3 is not a must have but is instead a welcome addition to a blader's collection as well as a must have for competitive bladers in the Hasbro-Only Format.